My trailer, which I bought in August, came with a spare that I have not examined closely. It might have enough air and it might not. It may have some rot and may not. I might be able to figure out how to remove it from its harnes in the dark and I may not. Before I go on my next trip I am going to remove the spare and check its condition. It would be a double twist of fate to have a flat, put on the spare only to have it blow out due to its poor condition. I saw pictures of the damage a blow out can cause to the undercarriage. Not pretty.

Since I started this thread, I thought I'd let everyone know that I decided to go with the majority and carry a spare full-time. Consequently, I had the dealer install the under-the-tongue carrier and mount an old steel rim and spare he had lying around. It was not a cheap solution (The spare tire carrier alone was over $200) but at least it will provide piece of mind - and I don't have to bother carrying a spare in the truck where space is tight.

The first couple of years we owned our Airstream and had purchased a rim/spare tire we traveled up and down to Florida from New Hampshire to visit family and we did not have any issues. I thought (to myself) that my husband was being over protective, that we really didn't need to spent the $$$ on a rim and spare tire. But, of course (and I really hate this part) he was right. Having a spare saved us from losing out on part of our vacation in 2007. So the bottom-line: Our money was well spent, we highly recommend folks carry a spare for their trailer.

I have heard it said that should one be forced to ride on only three tires, even at slow recommended speeds, that the tire carrying the double load be replaced as soon as possible. The theory is that the stress on the tire likely will damage it, thus making it undependable.

I always carry a spare, along with a patch kit, a compressor, torque wrench, etc.

I have a spare rack under front of my trailer. However, I cannot get it fastened when tire is fully inflated. I thought about under inflating for storage, but then it's not ready when I need it. I will probably revamp it a little but, in the meantime, I carry the spare in the TV. The rack, as is, works great for carrying the blue tank, a bucket & miscellaneous. The risk here is going off and forgetting the spare. My personal opinion as to need for a spare is "I wouldn't leave home without one". Congrats on the new Safari. I hope you have many great trips to share with us.

When I had my '69 International I carried a spare. With the 34' triple I do not. In twenty-three years I've never had a flat on the road. Last summer I had a low tire (curbside rear) that I caught just before I left the camp site just south of Grand Island, NE. I drove it in to town where I intended to let Big O do all the work. Nice plan, except Big O was situated in such a way that I couldn't get the rig in to their site. Fortunately, there was a Walmart across the street where I could park. Unfortunately, the Big O manager said his liability insurance would not allow them to change the tire off site. So this old man did the job himself. Wasn't really that bad. Big O did repair the tire (a big screw penetration) without charge as I'd bought the tires from Big O here in Boise.